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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25033150">Little Schemes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeandintoxicating/pseuds/Strange%20and%20Intoxicating%20-rsa-'>Strange and Intoxicating -rsa- (strangeandintoxicating)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blow Jobs, Chapter 1 is Zerith, Chapter 2 is Clerith, Chapter 3 is Zakkura, Come Eating, Cunnilingus, F/M, M/M, Multi, Not Cheating, Oral Sex, Thinly-veiled plot to cover porn, Vaginal Fingering, Vaginal Sex, and Chapter 4 is Zakkureith</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:35:26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>15,253</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25033150</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/strangeandintoxicating/pseuds/Strange%20and%20Intoxicating%20-rsa-</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“What was her name?” Zack couldn’t help but lower his voice, careful as to not let Aerith hear them. </i>
</p><p>
  <i>This wasn’t… this <b>couldn’t</b>—</i>
</p><p><i>“Aerith. Pretty name, right?”</i> </p><p>Zack's in an open relationship with the two most perfect people on the Planet who've never met. But a chance encounter of the eve of Zack's deployment to Mideel will change things in all the best ways. </p><p>Zack/Aerith/Cloud</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough, Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Zack Fair/Cloud Strife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>125</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitzie/gifts">Kitzie</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Aerith met him on a bitterly cold Tuesday night in the center of Sector Eight’s Loveless Square.</p><p>The cold was beginning to nip at her fingers and nose, and though she still had about a hundred gil worth of flowers and the night’s showing of <em>Loveless</em> was bound to get out at any minute, Aerith wanted, more than anything, to just go home. </p><p>Today, in a word, <em>sucked</em>. </p><p>Maybe it was the fine mist of rain and mako and <em>grime</em> that began to fall a little after she’d started selling her wares, or it could have been the fact that she’d forgotten the gloves Zack had given her at home and decided on the fly that she could handle a few hours without them. </p><p><em>Or</em>, Aerith thought sourly as she glanced to her right, seeing her least-favorite Turk eyeing her with that look that made her skin crawl, <em>it could always be because of <strong>him</strong>.</em></p><p>Out of all the Turks, she really <em><strong>loathed</strong></em> when they sent Sebastian. Some people had an issue with the scar across his cheek, but Aerith didn’t like his <em>eyes</em>. The way they watched her, like she was a butterfly caught in a jar—there was something cold, clinical, <em>detached</em> to it. </p><p>They’d only spoken a few times, but those few times had been plenty. </p><p><em>I’d rather have a hundred Renos than one Sebastian,</em> Aerith thought as she rubbed her hands together. At least Reno would have stolen one of her flowers and dropped his gloves in her basket. He was an asshole, sure, but he was at least a <em>nice</em> asshole, at least to Aerith. </p><p>But that wasn’t going to happen with Sebastian working, that was for sure. </p><p>Mind wandering off into a world unknown, Aerith was able to <em>almost</em> forget about the cold until—</p><p><em>Bam</em>.</p><p>“Oh!” </p><p>It was the years of being hunted, of being caught in a jar, that made Aerith swing out her arm. Flowers flying, breath caught in her throat, Aerith’s entire body was prepared to absolutely <em>deck</em> whoever had grabbed her—</p><p>“I—I’m so sorry! Are you okay? Ma’am?” </p><p>Who would call her <em>ma’am</em> when they were mugging her?</p><p>He was <em>pretty</em>. That was the only word that came to her mind as she stared at the blond man in front of her, his blue SOLDIER 3rd Class fatigues making the faint glow of his eyes radiate like a reactor. </p><p>“I’m sorry—I wasn’t looking where I was going. The play—I’m so sorry.” </p><p>The man was rambling, now, but still he didn’t remove his hands from her arm, keeping her from punching him in the head. </p><p>Aerith slowly brought down her arm as she looked at the man closer. Instead of it being <em>her</em> in the glass jar, this time it was <em>him</em>. </p><p>He looked soft. That was the first thing Aerith realized as he let go of her arm, kneeling before her to gather some of her flowers. There was an innocence in his earnest face, in the way his eyebrows furrowed together as he gently gathered the flowers by the stems. </p><p>Aerith knew Shinra, knew SOLDIERs, but she’d never seen one who looked so… so… </p><p>“You’re so <em>young</em>,” Aerith said as she got down on her knees, the cold asphalt biting into her skin. She laid her basket down on the ground, accepting the SOLDIER’s handful of flowers as gracefully as she could. </p><p>The man looked up at her, confused, before saying, “I’m twenty-one, ma’am.” </p><p>“Aerith,” she said, managing a small smile as she placed her flowers into the basket. “Not ma’am.” </p><p>Gods, his eyes were so blue they almost made Aerith want to look away. It was like what staring into the sun felt like, whenever it managed to peek out through the awnings and the clouds—</p><p>“Cloud, Ms. Aerith,” the SOLDIER replied, a small smile quirking at his lips. “My name’s Cloud.” </p><p>Aerith didn’t know why, but she couldn’t stop herself from reaching out, letting her fingers brush against his upper arm. She could feel the darkness, the corruption of whatever it was that made men into SOLDIERs, but just above that… </p><p>It was the softness, the gentleness, the <em>warmth</em>. Aerith could feel the real Cloud through her fingertips. He had a gentle heart, one that had survived through great trial and tribulation and so much <em>pain</em>, and though part of Aerith knew that it was wrong, she couldn’t help but feel the Planet between his fingers.</p><p>He was a <em>good</em> one. </p><p>“Your hands are cold.” </p><p>“Oh! Sorry, Cloud. I forgot my gloves. Didn’t think it’d get <em>this</em> cold.” Aerith pulled her hand back, but instead, Cloud grabbed hold of her hand, opening it palm up. </p><p>“Here. You can wear mine,” Cloud said as he pulled his warm leather gloves off, placing them in Aerith’s open hands. “It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.” </p><p>“You don’t have to do that,” Aerith began, but Cloud only closed her fingers over them.</p><p>“I know. But I <em>want</em> to.” </p><p>With one last smile, Cloud grabbed hold of the basket and stood, reaching down to help Aerith to her feet with his free hand. </p><p>“I hope you have a good night, Ms. Aerith. And good luck with selling the rest of your flowers.” Cloud handed her back the basket and turned to disappear into the throngs of people leaving the theater. </p><p>“Wait!” It was silly, Aerith knew, but Cloud… he was <em>good</em>. </p><p>Reaching into her basket, Aerith pulled out a yellow flower, one of her favorites, and slipped the stem under his suspenders. They contrasted so much it made her smile. </p><p>“There you go—a memento. A… a thank you.” There was a fluttering in her stomach when she noticed the faint dusting of pink across his cheeks. </p><p>“I’ll take good care of it,” Cloud said as he reached up to run a thumb across the petals. “Promise.” </p><p>He disappeared just as quickly as he came, and though Aerith was loath to admit it, she wished she could have kept talking to him. There was something about him that made her feel like she did when she was with…</p><p>Glancing over to Sebastian who stared at her as though he were a moment from tapping on her glass cage, Aerith pulled on Cloud’s gloves. She raised them to her face, feeling the worn leather against her skin. They smelled a little like that spiky hair gel she was so very fond of, and she couldn’t help but smile. </p><p>Aerith was quick in selling her flowers, managing only about half. Considering the rain was beginning to turn into snow, the theater-goers rushing out as quickly as their feet could carry them, it was certainly a good enough haul. </p><p>Looking up into the sky, the gray overcast tinged with the neon lights, Aerith couldn’t help but wonder if the sky somewhere else would have been as blue as Cloud’s eyes.</p><p><em>Just like Zack’s</em>, she thought, letting herself relish the moment in the sweet darkness.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Sebastian didn’t like to come into the church, which was exactly why Zack snuck in every time Reno let the schedule slip during one of their drinking nights. It got Reno free drinks, and got Zack a few hours alone with his girl before heading out for a big assignment with Sephiroth and Angeal in Mideel in the morning. </p><p>Even saying that made Zack smile—his <em>girl</em>. </p><p>Zack could remember the first time he saw her in that little restaurant in the Sector Five slums, her hair tied back and green eyes bright like fire spells. She was a feisty one, had been from the moment some drunk patron had tried to grab her ass, only to end up with an entire pitcher of water spilled over his head.</p><p>Zack could still remember her big doe eyes and soft frown as she so <em>empathetically</em> apologized to the man. For a second, just a split second, he’d even believed her in it being an accident. That was, of course, until she blew a strand of her bangs from one eye and <em>winked</em> at Zack before walking off into the back.</p><p>It may as well have been love at first sight. </p><p>She was feminine and charming and absolutely unapologetic about being exactly who she was, and that only made Zack love her more. There was just something about Aerith—not her blood, like what Shinra was so interested in—but how she could be so sweet and cheerful and yet so sneaky and tough. </p><p>Zack remembered the words Tseng had used, the ones that had stuck in his head ever since he’d first realized that she had a Turk detail and asked Sephiroth if he could do a little snooping. </p><p><em>She’s a flower blooming in the slums.</em> Tseng had said it with such <em>melancholy</em> that it left him feeling a little sad for the guy. Aerith had a way of making people fall in love with her, even if they weren’t supposed to.</p><p>But they kept her safe, made sure she didn’t get hurt, and for that, at least, Zack could thank them.</p><p>Sure, it was a pain in the ass having to get around the Turks, but from what Zack was hearing about what was going on with the higher-ups in Shinra, it wouldn’t be too long until President Shinra croaked. Dementia had riddled his brain like swiss cheese, and from what Zack could glean from Sephiroth, Angeal, and Genesis, the minute Rufus was in charge something unfortunate was going to happen to Hojo.</p><p>Zack hoped it was Sephiroth who got to do the honors, but he definitely wouldn’t have minded getting a go at the creepy fuck in Aerith’s name, either. </p><p><em>To be fair, she’d probably want to have a go at him herself</em>, Zack thought as he rested his head on one arm, leaning back on the pew. His sword, modeled off the Buster Sword Angeal carried, laid close enough for him to grab, but he’d never felt uncomfortable in Aerith’s church. </p><p>It wasn’t dangerous. Not here. Not with her.</p><p>
  <em> Beep. Beep. </em>
</p><p>Zack fished out his phone, smiling when he saw Cloud’s name.</p><p>“Hey, Cloud! What’s up?” </p><p><em>“I just got back to HQ—thanks for the tickets, really.”</em> </p><p>Zack smiled. “Did you like <em>Loveless</em>?” Genesis’s fan club had given Zack the tickets, and rather than incur the wrath of a bunch of angry fangirls for wasting premium tickets to the new show that he’d already been dragged to twice, he’d given the tickets to Cloud. </p><p>But there was something far-off in Cloud’s voice as he hummed out a, “<em>Yeah. Yeah. The show was fine—</em>” </p><p>“Don’t let Genesis hear you saying it was <em>fine</em>. He’ll have your head and then mine.” </p><p><em>“Yeah, loud and clear, Zack.</em>” Then, a little quieter, Cloud muttered a few sentences that made Zack’s heart stutter in his chest. “<em>I know you’re out with your girlfriend, but…”</em></p><p>Zack frowned. “What’s wrong, baby?”  </p><p><em>“You know… you know how we’ve been talking? About, y’know… your mission? And about… us?”</em> </p><p>Zack had a big heart—his ma always said it was the Fair family curse. Zack had never really seen it that way, though. He had a big heart, a heart big enough for more than just one person. </p><p>Falling in love with Aerith had been like falling in love with the sun, and Cloud… he was the sky. </p><p>Aerith… Gods, Aerith had laughed when Zack asked her if she was okay with Zack as he was—with his too-big heart and his wild-ass libido and his love for a fellow SOLDIER that took his breath away—and her response was to kiss him as hard as she could before telling him that she didn’t care. </p><p>“I’m not mad, Zack. I just want us to be happy. And if he makes you happy, then that’s all I need to know. Just as long as you’re open to me feeling the same way, too. Maybe I’ll even find myself another pretty SOLDIER boy when you’re off on one of those missions of yours.” </p><p>Zack had promised her that nothing would ever change, that he loved everything about her, before sinking down to his knees to kiss and tongue her open, enjoying the feeling of her fingers in his hair and her name on his lips.</p><p>It was the truth, because Zack did love everything about her, but he also loved everything about Cloud, too. </p><p>Cloud knew about Aerith—or, well, knew <em>of</em> her. Aerith knew about Cloud, too, but they both had chosen on their own that it was better to not meet. It would have been… it would have been just too hard on both of them. </p><p>The first time he’d mentioned it to Cloud, before they’d even kissed and the feelings were still fresh, Cloud had rested their foreheads together and whispered words that made Zack’s heart stutter in his chest. “As long as she’s okay with this—with <em>us</em>—then it’s better if we didn’t meet.”</p><p>Zack had made the same promise—that he wouldn’t be angry if Cloud found another lover while he was gone—when Zack found out that he’d be going on his mission down to Mideel. </p><p>Cloud only gave him a soft, sad smile before grabbing him by the back of the neck to kiss him against the 49th floor’s training room wall. </p><p>“If it’ll make you feel better if I say I’ll find some pretty girl to occupy my time with, will that make you feel better?” </p><p>“Very.” </p><p>Cloud rolled his eyes and leaned in for another kiss. “Fine.” </p><p>But… part of Zack had never expected that Cloud <em>would</em>.</p><p><em>And that’s just selfish of me</em>, Zack thought as he finally responded to Cloud. “O—oh? You meet someone, Spiky?” </p><p>Cloud was quiet for a moment before finally saying, “<em>Yeah. Uh… this girl in Sector Eight. She ran into me after the show, and...” </em></p><p>Zack smiled, though there was a second where it ached, but he pushed that feeling away. He’d heard Cloud flustered before, but never about <em>girls</em>. </p><p>“<em>I dunno. She was just really pretty.</em>” </p><p>Zack wolf-whistled. “My Cloudy-boy, gettin’ him some ladies. I always told you that you’re a looker. No one could say no to those baby-blues.” </p><p><em>“Zack. I just gave her my gloves, since she looked so cold.”</em> </p><p>That was the kind of man Cloud was; no one could ever resist a gentleman. “Did you get her number?” </p><p>Zack heard the church door open, glancing over his shoulder to see Aerith, huddled up in her favorite pink coat, flower basket hanging in the crux of her arm. She smiled at him, giving him a one-handed wave as she shut the church door with more force than truly necessary. </p><p>Well… Sebastian just kind of <em>did</em> that to people, so Zack couldn’t blame her. </p><p>Zack raised one hand up to wave back, though what Cloud said next made Zack nearly drop his phone into his lap. </p><p>
  <em> “No, but I did get her name. She sells flowers there, so… maybe I’ll get the chance to see her again.”  </em>
</p><p>Zack blinked, staring at Aerith and her flower basket. She was busy unzipping her jacket, tossing it onto one of the pews, before shaking a few of the errant snowflakes from her hair with standard-issue SOLDIER gloves— standard-issue gloves that Zack had certainly <em>not</em> given to her.  </p><p>“What was her name?” Zack couldn’t help but lower his voice, careful as to not let Aerith hear them. </p><p>This wasn’t… this <em>couldn’t</em>—</p><p>“<em>Aerith. Pretty name, right?</em>” </p><p>Zack couldn’t help but nearly choke on his tongue. “Uh. Yeah. Pretty name. Real pretty.” Zack felt the laughter bubble up his through, though he tried his best to push it down, not just for Aerith who was looking at him strangely, but for Cloud, too. “You know—I can get you more from Genesis, if you want. Maybe two tickets, for you and your lady friend.” </p><p>Aerith mouthed something that Zack didn’t quite catch before heading to her flowerbed, hiking her dress up enough for Zack to see the creamy pale skin he’d worshipped on that same flowerbed more than once— and likely would again, before the night was out. </p><p>He knew Aerith wasn’t particularly nosey, but from the faraway look in her eyes as she toed off her boots and socks as she reached the flowerbed, Zack was pretty sure he didn’t have to worry. Once Aerith started messing with her flowers, he could’ve dropped a bomb in church and she wouldn’t have noticed.</p><p>In fact, someone at Shinra <em>had</em> dropped a bomb there once, but Aerith didn’t particularly care about that, either.</p><p>“<em>Thanks, Zack.</em>” Cloud paused, and then, almost too soft for Zack to hear, said the words that <em>broke</em> Zack’s heart. “<em>Do you think… you can come over tomorrow morning? Before you leave?” </em></p><p>Gods, Zack was going to miss Cloud. </p><p>Zack couldn’t help but glance over at Aerith. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to spend the whole night with her— her mother would <em>never</em> have that, but… </p><p>“<em>You don’t have to,</em>” Cloud began, but Zack hushed him with a soft murmur of his name. </p><p>“Of course. Seven? I can make pancakes.” It was a rare thing for Zack to make pancakes, but he knew that Cloud really loved them. He always said it reminded him of home. “And, if you want, we can talk all about this lucky lady of yours. I’ll even give you pointers on wooing her.”</p><p>Cloud snorted, but it was the endearing snort and not the one where Zack was sure he’d get himself into trouble. <em>“That sounds great. Thanks, Zack.” </em></p><p>“I’ll talk to you soon, Spiky.” </p><p>
  <em> “Enjoy your night with your girl.” </em>
</p><p>Zack waited for Cloud to hang up first before staring down at his phone, then back up to Aerith. </p><p>There were a thousand things that Zack thought would happen in his life, but this? This random coincidence brought two of the most unlikely people together? That his girlfriend <em>and</em> his boyfriend would meet entirely by accident? And… </p><p>Zack tilted his head as he looked at Aerith and the leather gloves Zack knew very, <em>very</em> well. He’d felt those leather gloves in his hair, grabbing at his ass, wrapped around his cock… </p><p>
  <em> I wonder if it’ll feel different depending on the wearer. </em>
</p><p>Zack smirked.</p><p><em>Might as well find out.</em> </p><p>“A good night?” Zack asked Aerith, trying his best not to look as though he were the cat who had gotten the cream. </p><p>Still, something must have leaked through, because Aerith tilted her head to the side ever so, a quizzical smile pulling at her lips. </p><p>“It’s never a good night when Sebastian’s hiding in the shadows,” she finally replied before reaching out with one gloved hand, gesturing Zack closer. “You know that.” </p><p>Zack pushed himself off the pew, cracking his back as he lifted his arms high above his head, yanking off his own gloves. “Think they can feel him sulking?” he asked as he tossed the gloves onto the pew, glancing over at the door where he knew the Turk was.</p><p>“With my luck? Unfortunately.” There was a tinge of laughter in her voice, one that made Zack smile as he got down to his knees. “Be—” </p><p>“Careful with the flowers,” Zack mocked as he reached out to wind her outstretched hand with his, feeling the soft leather he knew so intimately against his bare skin. “I know.” </p><p>The almost <em>petulant</em> look on her face, though, made Zack pause for a moment, before Aerith finally said, over-annunciating her words, “What I was <em>going</em> to say, before you so rudely interrupted, was for you to be careful not to speak too loudly.” </p><p>Zack pulled Aerith up against his chest, enjoying the little laugh and huff she let out against his shoulder. “What— think he’s finally caught on?” </p><p>“Rude thinks so,” Aerith murmured as she turned, pressing her mouth against the corner of Zack’s lips. “You’re too loud.” </p><p>“I don’t think <em>I’m</em> the one who’s too loud,” was all Zack said as he lifted their laced-together hands to his mouth, pressing a kiss against Cloud’s leather glove. He could smell the hair gel Cloud had stolen from his apartment that morning, and reveled in the glass-eyed way Aerith stared at him, lips parted ever so slightly. “And we both know it’s because he’s in love with you.” </p><p>Aerith made a face. “Don’t even joke like that.” </p><p>Zack shrugged, kissing Cloud’s gloves again. “What happened to your gloves?” </p><p>“O— Oh, I forgot them.” </p><p>“What SOLDIER did you mug for another pair?” </p><p>That, at least, got Zack a laugh, though Aerith didn’t try to pull her hand away. </p><p>“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she teased as she lifted her other hand, flexing her fingers.</p><p>“That’s not really an answer, Aer.”  </p><p>“A girl has to have some secrets of her own, y’know.” The soft smile pulled at her lips as she wiggled her fingers in Zack’s grasp, watching the light leaking through the dim slum suns and the busted windows shine on her. “Don’t worry. The guy I mugged won’t miss them. Promise.” </p><p>“A gift, then?” </p><p>Aerith looked up toward the ceiling, almost as though she were thinking a lie she could tell, before settling on, “You could say something like that. What, you jealous?” </p><p>“Hmm, I guess so.” Zack teased as he reached down to the hem of her dress with his other hand, letting his fingertips ghost over the well-worn fabric. “Can’t help but wonder what else this secret SOLDIER’s been gifting you with.” </p><p>Gods, he loved when Aerith blushed. It was just as beautiful as Cloud’s. </p><p>“Guess it’s better than <em>Sebastian’s</em> gloves.” </p><p>“Not funn—” Aerith’s breath caught in her throat as Zack’s fingers met the skin on her upper thigh. Her skin was cold, but Zack knew that SOLDIERs always ran hot, and it wouldn’t take long for her to feel just as warm as he did. </p><p>Zack took the opportunity to lean forward, trapping their entwined hands between their bodies as he pressed a kiss against her open mouth. </p><p>It didn’t take long, between hot kisses and hushed whimpers, for Aerith to thread her free hand through his hair as he pushed his hands between her legs, feeling the wet heat against the fabric of her panties. </p><p>“Which ones did you wear for me?” </p><p>“The red ones,” she whispered, voice a staccato as he slipped his middle finger against the fabric, right between her folds. “With—” </p><p>“The lace back.” </p><p>“Your favorite,” Aerith replied before Zack went back in for another kiss. </p><p>Untwining their hands, Zack reached for the nape of Aerith’s neck as he slowly laid her out on her flowers, her fingers entwined in his hair and his shirt. It was sacrilege and, as Aerith always laughed, likely to catch him holy hell, but Zack didn’t care. </p><p>“A flower blooming in the slums,” Zack murmured as he leaned over her body, enjoying the feeling of the rise and fall of her chest as he leaned down to engulf her with a kiss. His hands worked their way up into her dress to hook around the sides of her underwear, enjoying the taste of her laughter as he shimmied them halfway-down her thighs before he could no longer pull them without having to move himself. Zack frowned, but that only made Aerith giggle.</p><p>“And here I was, thinking SOLDIERs were ingenuitive. But here you are, stumped by a pair of panties.”</p><p>“My <em>favorite</em> pair of panties,” Zack replied as he tapped his fingers against her open thighs. “And tearing them would be a complete waste.”  </p><p>“Then figure something else out, SOLDIER. Wouldn’t want to leave any territory unclaimed,” Aerith said, voice serious but her smile belying how she truly felt. “Your honor’s at stake, here.”  </p><p>“Can’t say Shinra ever prepared me for this kind of mission,” Zack joked as he slowly edged himself backward on his elbows, keeping his eyes trained on Aerith, her green eyes blown wide as he oh so slowly edged her panties further down her thighs, then to her knees, and finally down to her bare feet. “But I dutifully accept.” </p><p>Zack broke eye contact to grab her panties with his lips and teeth, enjoying the feeling against his skin. He thought, just for a moment, about kissing her with them still in his mouth, but thought better of it. Instead, Zack pocketed the underwear with a wink. </p><p>“A memento, for while I’m gone.” </p><p>“And what memento will you leave me?” Aerith asked, breathless. </p><p>“Memories.” </p><p>Zack began at the tip of her perfectly manicured toes, kissing and nipping up her calf, then to the softness of her spread thighs before he brushed his nose against her wet curls. </p><p>She tasted warm and soft and musky, just like she smelled. There was something beautiful in that muskiness, something that made Zack’s cock jump in his pants, and he couldn’t help but imagine what it would look like if he got to see Cloud tonguing Aerith open in his stead. </p><p>Zack let the image echo in his mind: Aerith’s quivering legs propped up on Zack’s shoulders as Cloud laid between them. Zack could almost feel his cock inside Cloud’s tight hole as Cloud licked and sucked Aerith open, letting his gloved fingers— the same gloves threaded in his hair at that very moment— push into Aerith’s trembling and aching and so very <em>welcoming</em> body. </p><p>Letting him fall into the fantasy, Zack grabbed hold of one of Aerith’s hands, tugging the glove off. </p><p>“B—” Aerith began, but Zack took that moment to run his tongue over her clit, letting his front teeth gently glide over the skin. </p><p>“Shh, I’m sure your secret SOLDIER won’t mind. At all.” </p><p>Rather, Zack <em>knew</em> that Cloud wouldn’t mind, but he kept that fact to himself. For now, at least, that would be a secret just for him to cherish— just like the underwear in his pocket. </p><p>Just for Zack. </p><p>Pulling Cloud’s glove on to his right hand, Zack wiggled the fingers just for a moment before opening his mouth and slipping the leather between his lips.</p><p>The sound Aerith made, somewhere between bliss and anticipation, made Zack smirk as he licked and sucked. It was ridiculous and probably a little more than disgusting, but Zack could almost <em>taste</em> Cloud on them.  </p><p>Aerith’s nostrils flared as he pulled out the wet leather with an obscene pop. </p><p>“You ready, baby?” </p><p>Aerith, eyes wide and lips parted, managed a stifled, “Yes,” through trembling lips as she nodded, bangs slick with sweat and melted snow. </p><p>Sliding his fingers inside was like slipping into temptation itself. </p><p>Aerith threw her head back as he slowly guided his leather-clad fingers inside her up to the knuckle. He knew it didn’t hurt— her body was so receptive, so willing and wet and <em>ready</em>— but he was careful with her, anyway. She wouldn’t break, not from this, because she was strong. She was a flower blooming in the slums, and had grown just as her flowers did. </p><p>A little pressure and leather against her petals wouldn’t even bruise her. </p><p>Zack moved his fingers in time with his tongue lapping against her clit, using his other hand to reach down to his belt buckle. He could feel her orgasm, hazy and just whispering against his fingers.</p><p>“You wanna come?” Zack whispered as he unzipped his pants, enjoying how Aerith shuddered, arching her back, at the sound. </p><p>“Zack, Zack,” Aerith whined, voice breathless and so very beautiful. “Please.” </p><p>Aerith never needed to beg, not with Zack.</p><p>“Maybe this is too much?” Zack asked them, but Aerith only <em>glared</em>.</p><p>“Don’t you <em>dare</em>.” </p><p>Zack continued to lick her open in earnest, scissoring his gloved fingers inside her, daring to even press a third finger inside, just to see if he could.</p><p>He could, and that was what pushed Aerith over the edge. </p><p>Zack let Aerith ride out his fingers to her climax, her pussy tightening around his fingers, her gloved and ungloved hands nearly tearing out his hair as her body shuddered around him. He could hear her heart skip a beat, just one beat, before her eyelids fluttered closed and she fell back onto her flowerbed. </p><p>He should have let her rest, let her come down from her high, but Zack wanted to feel her spasm around his cock, wanted to feel her body beg for his come. </p><p>Thankful for the regular mako doses that temporarily made sure Zack could only shoot blanks, Zack didn’t have to pause and search for a condom, instead slipping inside Aerith in one easy thrust. </p><p>The sound she made, so close to a scream, barely made it out of her lips before Zack pressed his still-slick gloved hand across her mouth. </p><p>“Can’t—have Sebastian hear,” Zack grunted as he fucked into her, slow enough that he could feel the last tremors of her orgasm. “Gotta be quiet—right?” </p><p>One day, maybe after he got back from Mideel and Cloud knew about Aerith and Aerith knew about Cloud and the President and Hojo were rotting in the ground, he could bring them both back to his place. There, at least, Aerith could be as loud as she wanted.</p><p>Still, Zack relished in every whimper and whine he felt against Cloud’s glove as he fucked into her body, deep and slow. Somehow, Zack managed to unbutton the first three buttons of her pink dress and yank her bra down enough to wrap his lips against her pert nipple, enjoying the way Aerith’s eyes fluttered back until all he could see was the whites. </p><p>She hooked her legs around him, ankles locked at the base of his spine to pull him in deeper and deeper.</p><p>He knew he’d never last, not with the way Aerith’s breath hitched and the rolling over her hips in tandem with his, but before he came he wanted to make sure he could feel her body milk his cock for every last drop he had to give. </p><p>Another image flashed through his mind: Zack, lapping at Aerith’s pink pussy, Cloud’s come slipping out of her quivering, aching hole. He could see it, almost as though he lived it, as Zack breathed against Aerith before pressing his tongue deep inside to taste all Cloud had to give. </p><p>Zack knew it was cheating, knew that using Aerith’s weakness against her wasn’t fair, but Zack pulled his gloved hand away from Aerith’s mouth, wrapping his fingers deep in the curls at the base of her neck, and <em>pulled</em>. Mouth against her throat in the place he <em>knew</em> she loved, Zack knew he had succeeded when she bit down on her lips to stop herself from screaming as she tightened her legs around Zack’s hips, pulling him in deeper. </p><p>It only took one, two, three more thrusts before Zack came inside her, hard and fast, and Gods— she was beautiful. </p><p>“I love you.” </p><p>“I know,” Aerith whispered back, reaching down to cup his face with Cloud’s glove. </p><p>It still smelled of him. </p><p>“I’m gunna miss you.” </p><p>“Me, too.” </p><p>For a moment, Zack basked in the sweet bliss of their orgasms, before kissing Aerith’s bitten throat. </p><p>“That… that SOLDIER… You should let him take you out.” </p><p>Aerith paused, as though considering it, before whispering out Zack’s name. </p><p>It was a question.</p><p>“I’m sure, baby,” Zack answered, leaning in for a brief kiss. “I don’t want you to be alone.” </p><p>For a moment, just a glimmer of a second, Zack thought she would say no, that this little scheme Zack had concocted would never work, but instead, Aerith just nodded. </p><p>Zack wanted to bask in the afterglow, let himself go soft inside her, but Zack had a better idea. Though Cloud wasn’t there, had never tasted Aerith before, Zack licked Aerith clean just like he imagined Cloud would. </p><p>And in the morning, Zack would hope that Cloud could taste Aerith’s musk and Zack’s come on his lips.</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Cloud met Aerith again on a beautiful Thursday morning, the softly-tinged mako flurries making the green of her eyes all the brighter. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tried to pass it off as just cosmically good luck, bumping into her for the second time, but if Cloud were honest with himself, he’d been going back every morning after his usual training exercises just to see if he could meet her again. He didn’t have the courage to go at night, after the performance of <em>Loveless</em> let out because he <em>knew</em> he’d see her then, so mornings were a little safer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s words were what whispered in the back of his head every time he showed up, feeling a little more of a creeper than he really should have. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“C’mon, Cloudy-boy. You’ll never know until you try.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud could almost taste the sickly-sweet pancake syrup on his lips— Zack’s kisses were always messy and sweet, but that one stayed in his mind, even days and weeks after Zack had headed off into the jungles of Mideel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So much love, so much faith— Cloud knew that Zack wanted him to be happy, to take the little things and make himself a home even when Zack wasn’t there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed almost easier for Zack to say it than for Cloud to <em>do</em> it, but that wasn’t anything new. Everything with Zack came easy— always had and, likely, always would. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was likely why, on that cold winter morning when he caught a hint of her pink coat and brown hair, he looked down long enough to casually knock shoulders with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, though, Cloud took care not to let her flowers fall, instead using his SOLDIER reflexes to cradle them in his open hands. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s you!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud couldn’t tell if it was an exclamation of shock, frustration, or joy— that was until he looked up at her face. She was smiling, wider than she had the first night they met when he'd given her his gloves.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She really <em>was</em> pretty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry for hitting into you again,” Cloud apologized, feeling a little of Zack’s charm seeping into his words. “I really should look where I’m going.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the way she smiled then, that secretive smile that told Cloud he wasn’t as slick as he was trying to be, said more than any words possibly could. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe, just maybe, Cloud wasn’t the only one who looked down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guess you should.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud let out a little laugh as he held out the flower for Aerith to take. “I will— promise.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Aerith didn’t seem to be as thrilled with the answer as Cloud had(n’t) hoped. Instead, she seemed a little flustered for a moment before accepting her flower back, though she didn’t tuck it into her basket. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Aerith pursed her lips for a moment before holding the flower out for Cloud to take. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about a trade?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud could almost hear her heartbeat fluttering against her ribs and he leaned closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For what?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith looked up, almost contemplative, before winking. “A flower for a cup of coffee.” Then, just for a moment, Cloud could almost see <em>Zack</em> in Aerith’s eyes as she wiggled her hand. “Fair trade?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud didn’t hesitate as he took the flower and, with what could have only been Zack’s courage (because it <em>certainly</em> didn’t come from <em>him</em>) slipped it behind her ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s a fair trade.” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Coffee date after coffee date, laugh after laugh, smile after smile— Cloud felt, for the first time since Zack left, that he was <em>happy</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith was a spitfire; there was something in the glint of her eyes that made Cloud feel as though his entire body was on fire. In some respects, she was a lot like Zack, but in others… she was vulnerable, hidden away in the shadows. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He also found out about the Turks— particularly when Rude tapped him on the shoulder one morning while he was waiting outside of the coffee shop Aerith liked, the one with the cute moogle cups, and just stared at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had dealt with Turks a few times on missions, having a clear preference for <em>no</em> Turks than any Turk, but if he had to score which Turk he wanted to be tapping him on the shoulder as he waited for a date, then Rude wasn’t the worst. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That honor was reserved for Sebastian or Reno. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aerith asked me to tell you she’ll be a few minutes late.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh…what?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Aerith will be here in a few minutes.” Rude pulled down his glasses to glance at Cloud, as though attempting to either <em>see</em> him or <em>see how stupid</em> he was. “Is that understood, SOLDIER Third-Class Cloud Strife?”  </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She uses her Turk escort as a chocobo delivery service.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the kind of girl she was, and that only made Cloud’s heart soar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she finally got there, wearing his standard-issue gloves like she had for every single one of their dates, Cloud held open the door and pulled out her chair. Even though he knew she could do it, those were the little things his mom had drilled into his head since he was a little kid, and he wanted to make Aerith feel as special as his mom said those things made her feel when his dad had done them for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when he got back with their orders— a white mocha for himself, a peach tea for her— Aerith rested her elbows on the table and folded her hands under her chin, cocking her head to the side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y’know,” Aerith started, “you’d look cute in a dress.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud spit out his white mocha in a perfect arc.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was how, on a Wednesday night with red cheeks and enough tequila to knock out three grown men (but not enough to dent his SOLDIER threshold, unfortunately) Cloud found himself in a slinky purple party dress with Aerith clinging to his arm somewhere in the underbelly of Wall Market. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By all accounts, this <em>wasn't</em> what Zack meant when he said that Cloud needed to put his hair down once in a while, but… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith’s grip on his arm tightened as one of the Turks, a the Turk with the scar and a perpetual frown, glanced at Aerith and Cloud, though his eyes glazed right over Cloud and lingered on Aerith and her blood-red, skin-tight lace dress for just a moment too long.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Aerith told him she wanted to see him in a dress, Cloud had gone along with it partially because he liked the way it made Aerith’s eyes light up in a way he wanted to see again and again. But now that he thought about it…</span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>Sneaky</em>. Very, <em>very</em> sneaky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he whispered into Aerith’s ear that he’d caught on to what she was doing, sneaking around her Turk bodyguards, all she did was twine her fingers in his and drag him onto the dancefloor, pulling off her lace shawl to wrap it around Cloud’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack had taught him how to dance— always in their underwear, going to the beat of a song only Zack could hear— but dancing with Aerith was like dancing in the summer rain. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite how cold the club should have been in the middle of January, it was boiling. Cloud could feel the sweat on the back of his neck, the heat of Aerith’s breath on his cheek and the touch of her breasts against his chest as they danced, skin flushed and bodies yearning for more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud wasn’t a virgin; Zack had long-ago taken care of that. But he’d never been with a girl— no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith wasn’t a girl.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was a <em>woman</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, when Aerith winked at her Turk bodyguard and whisked Cloud off to the girls' only bathroom by grabbing hold of the red shawl she wrapped around his neck, Cloud’s stomach knotted and contorted as it never had before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could see it in her eyes, in the red of her lipstick and the heat of her hands as she pushed him up against the tiny bathroom’s pink door, the click of the lock behind him making his heart seize in his chest. It was hard to hear anything but the dull thump of the bass on the dance floor, but Cloud swore he could hear Aerith <em>giggle</em> as she reached down and ran her nails over Cloud’s ass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then she said his name, a calling in the green storm of her eyes, and Cloud knew that he would be completely lost without her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith knew it was his first time— that was the only thing that Cloud could think as she pulled him slowly into the bathroom. It was small, the garish pink wallpaper and feather chandelier making Cloud’s eyes burn, but somehow they’d managed to fit a bubblegum pink chaise lounge chair inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pushed him down and, with so much grace it made his mouth go dry, climbed right on top of him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to stop?” Aerith said against his lips as she leaned close, letting her hands brush through his hair. Her face was soft, her mouth inviting, but her words rang with an honesty that Cloud immediately <em>got</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Cloud answered honestly, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is.. is it because of that person— the one you love?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had been honest during their coffee dates— as honest as he could be— with Aerith. He was in love with someone else, had been in love with them since they first met. He hadn’t told Aerith who Zack was, about how they met or where they knew each other from, but Aerith had only smiled and told Cloud she knew <em>exactly</em> what he was going through. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoever they are, they know you love them. And that’s all that matters, Cloud.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same for you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath. Cloud could feel something in the air, something that felt almost like it had when he’d sit near the mako pools when he was a little boy, watching it crystallize into something pure and beautiful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe that feeling was what Shinra saw in her, why the Turks followed her around all the time. Cloud didn’t have the courage to ask, but when she opened her eyes, they sparkled like emeralds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s happy, right now. So I should be happy, too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And she kissed him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith was a good leader— she seemed to know exactly what she wanted and made sure to let Cloud know. So, when she grinded down, Cloud realized that the only one wearing underwear was him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She winked against as she pulled away, rotating her hips in a way that made Cloud’s eyes roll into the back of his head. Cloud went to grab her hips, but that only made Aerith laugh, swatting them away as she rotated her hips again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Aerith untied the shawl from around his throat and latched them around his wrists, pinning them above his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You look prettier like this.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud let Aerith take the reins, watching with no uncertain amount of awe as she pushed both their dresses up, sliding Cloud’s cock free from his underwear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was already half-hard when she took him in her hands, but the moment she pressed her thumb to the slit, sliding her nail expertly down until his body arched against her, he was more than ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t give him a moment to think, to pause, to even <em>breathe</em> before she pressed his cock to her slick opening. Aerith slid down until he was balls-deep inside her, the feeling of her warmth and the fabric from their dresses rubbing against the inside of his thighs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ae— Aerith,” Cloud managed, trying to free his hands from their constraints.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith’s reply was to buck her hips forward and clench down, pressing one pretty finger against Cloud’s lips in warning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She fucked him like that until he was at the edge of orgasm, but just as he got close, Aerith would pause, kiss his sweat-slick brow and whisper his name— “Cloud, Cloud, Cloud,” until it felt more like a prayer than anything else. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His wrists were numb, his balls aching, thighs quivering, but Cloud held back his orgasm until Aerith wanted it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Aerith enjoyed playing with her food, and though he’d felt her entire body quiver with orgasm mid-thrust more than once, she soldiered on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until he felt as though he’d break, his nails digging into the soft flesh of his palms, that Aerith kissed him. It was tongue and teeth and an urgency that Cloud knew. Aerith reached up and undid the lace shawl from his wrists just in time for Cloud to come, his arms wrapped around her shoulders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She smelled like flowers after the rain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You okay?” Aerith asked as she rested their foreheads together, her hair a curtain around them, blocking out the garish light. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud could barely breathe, let alone <em>communicate</em> with <em>words</em>, so instead, he leaned up to press an open-mouthed kiss against her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y— yeah,” Cloud finally said, voice breathless. “I am.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then, though it made absolutely no sense to him why he asked her right then and there, Cloud asked if Aerith would see <em>Loveless</em> with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"A proper date?" she giggled as she pressed their foreheads together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yeah," Cloud breathlessly replied. "A real date." </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Zack’s exile ended on a humid Friday morning in the middle of the Mideel jungle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just a single text message, but when Zack got it he felt as though all the air on the entire Planet was sucked out into space. So winded, Zack had to take a seat on a nearby fallen tree just to catch his breath. </span>
</p><p>
  <strong>The President is dead.</strong>
</p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth’s name was at the top, which was the only reason Zack didn’t call bluff. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Genesis? Sure, Genesis would have gladly fucked around with Zack like that. Maybe even Angeal, if Genesis got a hold of his phone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Sephiroth? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Never. </span>
</p><p>
  <span><em>And they did call him back all of a sudden,</em> Zack thought as he stared down at the message, almost as though looking at it would make the words change to make more sense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take more than a minute, maybe two, before the official announcement was sent out from Lazard. The single-paragraph email would have, to anyone not looking, seemed terse, but Zack could read between the lines: Lazard was probably popping champagne bottles at that very moment with his feet on top of his desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At the very bottom of the email was a notice that all SOLDIERs on missions not regarding security were to be called home immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack read it once, twice, and then jumped up off the tree and went running back to base as quickly as his legs could carry him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was on a helicopter within the hour, Angeal three steps behind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire ride back, Zack’s fingers got the biggest workout of their lives as he frantically texted both Aerith and Cloud to let them know he’d be back soon, as well as to his squad and the entirety of the SOLDIER First department.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth didn’t send anything back, but Genesis supplied him with a series of GIFs of various cats having parties, which was very different from the usual <em>Loveless</em> ones.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As a SOLDIER First Class, Zack knew that he wouldn’t be able to see Aerith when he landed, but he did get to see Cloud. It was for a brief second, barely enough time to even smile, but getting to see Cloud’s face for that one sweet, sweet second was enough to make Zack feel as though everything in the world was going his way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got a text a few minutes later, one that made Zack’s entire body go hot at the most inappropriate of times. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>All I can think about is your dick in my mouth.</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had never been one for dirty texting, which made Zack nearly trip over his feet. But more than that, the thought of Cloud with his lips wrapped around Zack's cock... it was almost too much for him to handle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you hold yourself together for a few minutes, Fair?” Sephiroth had asked, but all Zack could do was give an embarrassed half-nod as he went back to staring at Cloud’s text.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The old man croaked in his bed and Rufus had opted to not do an autopsy. Zack had gotten the opportunity to see the body— a bullet through his head— and whole-heartedly agreed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks pretty normal,” Zack replied when Rufus asked if he, Angeal, Sephiroth, and Genesis agreed to sign off on the ruling. "Don't see the reason to drag it out." </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excellent.” Rufus looked to Sephiroth then, eyes peerless. “Do you agree, Sephiroth.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Quite.” Sephiroth paused, reaching down for Masamune’s hilt. “If that’ll be all, there’s business I need to attend to.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the Science department?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sephiroth didn’t reply, but Rufus merely waved him off without another word.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There’d be a nation-wide funeral in the coming days, but the atmosphere around the Shinra Headquarters was jubilant. Instead of mourning, the white banners and red symbols around Zack almost felt like a sun bursting through the darkest nights.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t take long for Zack to find Cloud. Kunsel told him that when Cloud wasn’t with his ‘new friend’ down in the slums, he was working himself into a sweat in the SOLDIER VR rooms. And, as Zack had rightfully guessed, it was the same VR rooms where they'd fooled around on more than one occasion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched Cloud for a few minutes, hiding behind the glass as he stared in awe as his lover mowed through squad after squad of troopers, even managing to take down three behemoths at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Zack had been a SOLDIER Third Class, taking down even <em>one</em> Behemoth had been a chore, but Cloud did it with an ease that made Zack’s heart soar. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But what <em>really</em> did it was the love bite on Cloud’s neck.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d tried not to ask too many questions, tried to not give himself away, but between Aerith and Cloud, Zack had figured out that the jump from ‘coffee buddies’ to something more had happened before spring started. There was something mentioned about a club and a dress, though from the way Cloud had been very hush-hush and Aerith all too pleased with herself, Zack was pretty sure he knew exactly <em>who</em> ended up in the dress. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack took a step inside the VR room just as Cloud’s score tallied across the wall, wrapping his arms around Cloud’s hips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zack!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud dropped his practice sword and spun around, grabbing hold of Zack. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the shock and joy of having Zack back— whatever it was sent Cloud down to his knees, taking Zack with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, I missed you.” Zack buried his nose in Cloud’s wet spikes, smelling the sweet mix of hair gel and something uniquely <em>Cloud</em> as Cloud’s fingernails scrambled for purchase against his back. The practice mat was hard against his knees, but he could feel Cloud’s cock jolt against his constraining uniform as he brushed their crotches together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Missed you, too,” Cloud whispered against his lips, letting out half a sigh as the other man boldly ran one hand up into Zack’s hair, pulling him down for a kiss that left them both breathless. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something just under the surface, though, a sweetness that Zack’s enhanced senses just barely picked up on—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flowers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t even try to hide his smirk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Enjoy yourself while I was gone?” Zack asked as he pulled back, pressing a kiss against Cloud’s throat where Aerith had left her mark.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud’s eyes flew wide, but Zack only batted his hand away when he tried to cover it up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanna meet the girl who’s ballsy enough to mark a SOLDIER,” Zack replied as he leaned down, licking the spot with absolute adoration. He could feel his cock harden at the thought of seeing Cloud and Aerith together. Did Aerith let Cloud take her, or was it the other way around?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Z— Zack.” Cloud looked up at him through blond lashes. He licked his lips experimentally, then whispered, “If you want.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I do. But, before that…” Zack ran his fingers through Cloud’s hair, gently tugging his head down as he stood. “You said something about my dick and your mouth?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had always been an amazing lover, making up for his lack of experience with pure and unbridled <em>enthusiasm</em>, though he’d never been one for blowjobs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In fact, Zack thought as Cloud began unzipping his pants, the one who really had a thing for head was <em>Aerith</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That girl of yours teach you a thing or two?” Zack asked as Cloud slipped his thumbs under the elastic band, slowly tugging them down to his mid-thighs. If anyone walked in at that moment… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they weren’t going to walk in. Every SOLDIER in a two-mile radius probably knew exactly what Zack and Cloud were going to be getting up to, and anyway, they were all likely busy doing their jobs— much unlike Zack and Cloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud only hummed in response as he nuzzled up against Zack dick before taking the head of his cock between his perfect pink lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack closed his eyes as he reached down, gripping Cloud’s hair in the way he knew made the other man’s toes curl. Cloud may have been strong enough to bring three Behemoths down, but in Zack’s hands, Cloud may as well have been putty. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That little hint of submissiveness only made Zack harder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’d been a while since Cloud had fucked him with his mouth, which was why Zack started off slow, guiding Cloud’s mouth to take him deeper and deeper, inch by inch. He was gentle with Cloud, he was <em>always</em> gentle with Cloud, but just as Cloud got into the rhythm and the depth, Zack pulled his head back with a pop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're so good to me, Cloud," Zack murmured, brushing a strand of sweat-slick hair from Cloud's eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud smiled before pulling himself down until his nose was buried in Zack's curls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If there were Gods, Zack probably offended them with his thick, near-pained cry of Cloud's name. The sudden sensation, the way Cloud's throat felt around him, was almost too much. It'd been so long since he'd been touched by anything other than his right hand, and Cloud's mouth was enough to make his knees buckle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack knew he shouldn't, but he twined his fingers in Cloud's hair. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tears leaked from the corners of Cloud’s eyes, but when Zack pulled back, Cloud shook his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His voice was raw, but Cloud still managed a watery smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you <em>dare</em>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Holy <em>shit</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith really <em>was</em> rubbing off on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack wiped the corners of Cloud’s mouth before guiding his cock back between those lips. Throwing his head back, Zack let himself focus on slipping in, deeper and deeper until he could feel the muscles in Cloud’s throat go still before he <em>swallowed</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was all it took to push Zack over the edge, letting Cloud’s throat milk him until Cloud couldn’t stand it. He pulled back to take in an aching, chest-rattling breath, pupils blown wide and the last few ropes of come hitting him right across the cheeks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack wiped Cloud’s face clean with his fingers, wiping the dribbles of come onto Cloud’s lips for him to taste. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gods, I love you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud only smiled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I want to meet the girl who’s gotten you so bold.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That only made Cloud’s smile falter and his chin to dip down, but Zack only lifted it back up with his curled index finger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If… if that’s okay with you,” Zack added. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud paused before licking his lips and nodding. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… I think you’d like her.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure I will.” </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Everything changed on a magnificent Sunday evening, the summer air kissing Zack’s skin like the whisper of a memory. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack glanced at his watch for the tenth time in as many minutes, tapping his foot on the ground. He knew that he shouldn’t have been nervous, but texting Cloud and Aerith to meet him at the Loveless Avenue fountain had been something he had been looking forward to since that winter night in the church all those months before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a chance that both Aerith and Cloud would be pissed. They’d probably figure out right quick that Zack had been goading them along since the beginning, even if their chance encounter hadn’t been anything to do with Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, when he felt Aerith’s hands reach up to cover his eyes, the soft “Guess who?” whispered against his shoulder like a secret, all of his worries melted away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack didn’t look around for the Turk he knew wouldn’t be there—Rufus decided that since Hojo, too, had died of perfectly natural causes, there wasn’t any reason to keep up his old pet projects—instead reaching around and sweeping Aerith into a hug, swinging her around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zack!” Aerith laughed, her fingers digging into his shoulders for purchase. “Don’t! Don't drop me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But from the exhilarated laugh as he swung her around again, she knew that Zack would never dare drop her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he brought her back down to earth, Aerith pulled him in for a kiss, her windswept brown curls haloing her face. She looked healthier and happier than Zack had seen her even before heading off for his mission in Mideel. Her skin seemed to glow, her eyes were filled with light, and even her smile seemed somehow impossibly brighter. The yellow flower tucked behind her ear, the same ones that she’d given to Zack after their first date, seemed to have gotten a little more lively.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not being hunted looked good on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack would have to send Sephiroth a new polishing and sharpening kit for Masamune when he got the chance, that was for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hacking up flesh tended to dull the blade, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed you.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I missed me, too,” Zack joked before leaning in for a kiss, mouth only meeting air. “Aww, really?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith stuck her nose up in the air, haughty and refined. Zack would have believed it if her frown was already beginning to crack. “A girl should be missed.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, okay,” Zack acquiesced. “I missed you every moment of every day.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s better.” Aerith broke into a round of giggles before running one hand through the baby hairs on the back of Zack’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack knew it was impossible, but Aerith almost <em>tasted</em> like Cloud. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Breaking their kiss was almost physically painful for Zack but he managed, just barely. He would have been happy kissing Aerith all day and night, but Cloud was a SOLDIER and always got to where he was going exactly on time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Any reason why we came here?” Aerith asked, but Zack held up an index finger to her mouth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait—listen for it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith frowned. “Listen for what—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The bell.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith made the face that Zack knew and loved so much; it was the face of confusion, of questioning, of a little frustration that made Aerith’s forehead crinkle and a pout pull at her lips. She didn’t even know she was doing it, which was probably why Zack loved it so much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack shook his head. “Wait for it. Wait for i—”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ding. Ding. Di—</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get it, Zack—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Za—Aerith?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cloud?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Living in that moment, where Cloud and Aerith’s eyes met over the distance of the water fountain, made all the scheming and poking and prodding Zack had done over those months on assignment worth it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Better now than never.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Steeling himself for whatever was about to happen, Zack sent a toothy smile to the two people he loved most in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would be best to just jump in, so that was exactly what Zack did. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh… Well, Aerith. Meet my boyfriend, Cloud. Cloud, meet my girlfriend Aerith.” Zack watched as the two slowly turned to him, mouths seeming to drop down in what could only be described as perfect comedy gold.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I guess you two already know each other, huh?” Zack asked, sending them a toothy grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Out of all the things Aerith expected, this wasn’t one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Zack had called her on the plane, telling her that everything was going to be okay, that Shinra was gone and as soon as Sephiroth got hold of Hojo, she’d be safe, Aerith hadn’t believed it. All her life, Aerith had spent running— running from the needles, the pain, her mother’s death, the Turks— but now…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t have to run. She didn't have to hide. She could just be <em>free</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But, more than that, she could be with Zack without the worry that something would happen and she’d have to run. He was a SOLDIER, after all, and it was dangerous for her to love a man whose entire life was about the company that hunted her. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And now… Cloud, too.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>That thought sent a chill down Aerith’s spine, but she allowed herself to look at Cloud and Zack, at their soft expressions in the mako-tinged moonlight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the years, Aerith had long ago deciphered what Zack meant without saying a word. From the way he rubbed at the back of his neck to the shuffle of his feet, Aerith had long ago grown accustomed to figuring out what Zack really meant between his words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud, though… Cloud was new. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was still getting used to the way he frowned and bit his lip, the casual shrug of his shoulders, the way he leaned into everything he said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith could see the easiness in the way they moved together, two people who trusted each other in ways Aerith couldn’t understand because she wasn’t a SOLDIER. They’d risked their necks for one another, been bound by something she’d never been able to quite understand, and something she probably never <em>would</em> understand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That… that wasn’t a bad thing. Zack needed someone who understood the SOLDIER side of him, someone who could challenge him in ways Aerith knew she couldn’t. It was just the same as how Aerith knew that there were things she could give, a calm in the storm, that Zack’s other lover could never give, either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack hadn’t ever talked about Cloud, fearing that she’d be hurt by his love for another. But Cloud? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had been more than open with Aerith about how much he loved his boyfriend, and Aerith had opened up to him, too. It was easy to talk about their respective lovers, and that should have been the first sign that they were talking about the same person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some would have been jealous, envious about meeting the other person, but Cloud knew Zack—was in <em>love</em> with Zack, had been since the beginning, since before she ever knew him, and...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith had always known Zack’s heart was big enough for more than one person, but she couldn’t deny there had been a little place in her that had been hurt. She just hadn’t understood what Zack meant about loving more than one person until she got to meet Cloud, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith wasn’t sure she wanted to go back to a world where they weren’t all together. If Cloud and Aerith both loved Zack, and Zack loved both of them…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Could Aerith love Cloud, too? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She already knew the answer to that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Aerith finally said after a long moment, laughter bubbling up her throat as she finally let that fear, that worry in the bottom of her gut, fade away. “I guess we do know each other, don’t we, Cloud?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud turned redder than a tomato, which made Zack positively <em>coo</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He looks so cute when he’s turning colors,” Zack snickered as he reached out to cup Cloud’s cheek in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For just a second, Aerith wondered whether Cloud would pull away. He was shy by nature, something she’d figured out when they’d started seeing each other more often after the club, but it was almost mesmerizing to see him lean into Zack’s outstretched hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few people were milling about, not enough to cause any issues—particularly since both Zack and Cloud were in their SOLDIER uniforms— but enough for Aerith to look over her shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She knew she didn’t have to, that it was supposed to be over, but Aerith was still waiting for a Turk in the background, for Sebastian to jump out of the darkness and steal her away despite Tseng’s assurances that they most certainly wouldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There wasn’t any reason to hide— not anymore. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t until Zack reached out to wipe tears away from her cheeks that Aerith realized she was crying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m—I’m sorry,” she whispered, turning her face into Zack’s hand, but just as she did so, she felt another hand on her other cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud’s leather gloves, the ones she’d commandeered from him but gave back when his other pair had gotten mauled by some underplate monsters, were warm on her cheek. She hadn’t been sure if that was the entire reason, either; she liked to think that he could smell her skin on them, enjoyed wearing something she’d happily worn for months. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith flushed as Cloud gently pressed one gloved finger against her lips. She knew it was impossible, but that night in the church just after she met Cloud, where Zack had stolen the gloves to spread her open…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud couldn’t have known, but Zack <em>did</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she looked at him, the smirk pulled over his teeth made her legs shake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cloudy, did Aerith ever tell you what we did with those gloves of yours?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There should have been a tinge of something akin to shame, but all Aerith could do was hold her breath as Zack leaned over, brushing his lips against Cloud’s cheek and up to the shell of his ear. He whispered something then, something that Aerith couldn’t hear but already <em>knew</em>. Her pulse quickened, her body ached, and though she shouldn’t have looked, she could already see the tent in Cloud’s pants that he tried to hide by adjusting his stance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t do anything, but… well, he tried. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, Aerith didn’t do anything but giggle nervously as Cloud and Zack looked at each other for a long moment before Zack finally managed to say words Aerith really never expected to hear in her life. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… you finally want to see that apartment of mine?” Zack reached out and took her hand. “And… maybe show Cloud what we can do with those gloves of his?”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud shouldn’t have been as nervous as he was, but this was all so much to take. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A little part of him was frustrated, of course. Zack had kept this a secret, even well after Cloud had told him Aerith’s name. Had Cloud known—</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wouldn’t have gone back. Cloud knew what kind of man he was, and he never would have dared to bump into Aerith that second time, to buy her coffee, to take her dancing, to put on that ridiculous purple dress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would have marked her as <em>Zack’s Girl</em> and would have never thought to ask questions, to try and meet her. It would have been too much, and Cloud would have hid away from it instead of ever embracing it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack had left, having given Cloud the chance to come to terms with it all, allowed him to realize just how much he loved Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just how much he was beginning to fall in love with Aerith, too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they’d gotten back to Zack’s apartment, only having to dodge a few SOLDIERs (as most were busy running preparations down in Junon for the upcoming celebration parade for the new President Shinra) and Sebastian, who was wandering the halls like a forlorn experimental puppy Hojo had forgotten to lock back up in his cage. Aerith had grabbed hold of Cloud’s hand, and all he could do was slide her behind him and Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one was going to bother Aerith ever again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Sebastian saw Aerith, he truly did look like a kicked puppy, but… That wasn’t their problem. Not anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, now that they were locked inside of Zack’s apartment, Cloud felt like he could truly <em>breathe</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d expected there to be long talks and conversations, promises and explanations, laughter and tears. Those few cherished moments in the VR room had given Cloud enough energy to make it through the day, but ever since Zack told him about Aerith, that the girl he’d been seeing was Zack’s secret girl, Cloud had been swimming in a pool of his own thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was hazy and foggy there, but Aerith’s lips on his were what really brought him back to the surface, cutting through the darkness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I— this is a <em>lot</em>,” Cloud murmured against her lips. He could still see the wetness in her eyes, thankful that he wasn’t the only one feeling a little overwhelmed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then Zack wrapped his arms around them both, pulling them in for a hug with each arm. It should have felt silly in some way, but all Cloud could think was that he was the luckiest man in the world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys angry at me?” Zack asked, his voice soft and for the first time in a long time, <em>unsure</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A little,” Aerith admitted, and when Cloud glanced at her, he noted she was looking at him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same,” Cloud agreed, but then added, “but… not really. I wouldn’t have… I never would’ve…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack nor Aerith said anything, allowing Cloud to come to the words on his own. What ended up bringing them forward was Aerith’s soft hand against the inside of his wrist, a soothing calm coming from somewhere deep inside of her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Me too.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Those seemed to be the only words that any of them needed, because in that moment the tension broke like a wire being cut, and Cloud felt as though he were in freefall as Zack pressed a kiss to both their mouths before leading them into his long-forgotten bedroom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had missed Zack’s bed— the soft, clean satin sheets, the smell of Zack’s shampoo on the pillows even though it’d been months since he’d slept there. It was easy to fall onto the bed, Aerith landing between him and Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was fast, but everything with both Zack and Aerith had happened at warp speed, ever since Cloud had met them. It was just so easy, so <em>freeing</em>, to be with them. He didn’t try to slow down, though Cloud wasn’t even sure if he <em>could</em> have. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not with the way they were looking at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not with the way he was looking at <em>them</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cloud, help me with her dress.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The commanding tone in Zack’s voice made Cloud’s stomach feel heavy and hot, and Cloud was more than happy to do exactly as he was told. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Turning onto his side, Cloud looked at Aerith for permission. The woman gave a nod before turning onto her own side so she mirrored Cloud, reaching out to stroke his cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud would have been happy to just lay there looking at Aerith and Zack for eternity, but more than anything he wanted to see the way their bodies came together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If this was a dream, Cloud decided as he watched Zack run his hand through Aerith’s hair, pulling the flower out to hand to Cloud, he never wanted to wake up.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Aerith had never been with two men at the same time before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, it was something she’d thought about on more than one occasion. She’d known that Zack’s other lover was a man, and sometimes when she’d get adventurous, she’d think about what it would feel like to have two men touching her, two men making love to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she’d met Cloud, she’d thought about it even more. The idea of Cloud fucking her as she watched Zack fuck into him… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought had driven her wild more than once, but she’d never really thought about it happening in reality. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was until tonight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith closed her eyes and let herself <em>feel</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud was gentle as he stripped her down, each button coming undone met with a kiss to the sliver of skin it uncovered. He started with the top and began working his way down, kisses and licks leaving Aerith’s skin on fire. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s mouth was against hers, his desperate kisses and whispered words describing what Cloud looked like. The touch of those gloves against her skin made Aerith shudder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No underwear?” Zack laughed when Cloud got down to between her legs. She could feel Cloud’s hands on her, but also Zack’s. They were barely touching, just a tease of a touch, really, but it was enough to make Aerith arch her back in hopes to get just a little closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y— you <em>stole</em> mine,” Aerith reminded him through a whimper as she felt Cloud’s leather-gloved finger slip between her pussy lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembered what those gloves felt like slipping inside of her while Zack was wearing them, but now… </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she wanted to know what Cloud’s fingers felt like, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith bit down on her lip, trying to hold in any sound, until Zack kissed her so hard she could taste the faintness of mako and blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t have to be quiet here, Aer.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud had pianist's fingers. That was the only thing she could think of as Cloud slipped the first digit inside her, though it was just the ghost of a touch before he pulled back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith knew she should have been patient, allowed Cloud and Zack to explore her body, but Aerith couldn’t help it. She needed more, <em>craved</em> that sweet touch enough to blindly reach out to snatch Cloud’s hand, pressing it between her legs. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t— don’t stop,” she begged, finally looking up to see Cloud. His mako blue eyes were blown wide. Aerith licked her lips as she guided his fingers to her clit. When his fingers brushed against the sensitive nub, she allowed herself to vocalize it as she’d never been allowed to before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Beautiful,” was all Zack said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud’s hands were electric against her body, and Aerith needed more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please,” she begged when Cloud pulled his hand away.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s best not to deny her. You know how she gets. Lift your arms, baby.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith did as she was told and let out a breathless laugh as Zack slowly got to his knees and got behind her. He was so strong that he didn’t even make a sound as he picked her up and pulled the dress from underneath her, freeing her from the pink mess of fabric she’d gotten herself tangled in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She missed Cloud’s fingers against her, but Zack was working on her bra as he braced her against his chest, sitting them both upright. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith probably shouldn’t have laughed when Zack pulled the bra off and sat it on top of Cloud’s head like a hat, but…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It looks nice on you,” Aerith giggled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The flowers bring out your eyes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith leaned back and kissed Zack’s mouth. “They really do, don’t they?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud’s only response was to roll his eyes. “Thanks for the love.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re wel—” Aerith moaned as Zack gripped both breasts between his hands, pinching her nipples until she shuddered and yelped as Cloud slid his fingers inside her. Her body was more than happy to take in his long, leather-clad fingers, and though Aerith wanted to look at Cloud, she couldn’t take her eyes off Zack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look on Zack’s face, the rapt fascination and <em>hunger</em>, made Aerith’s entire body shudder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was so beautiful to look at. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both were. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith enjoyed Cloud’s touch and Zack’s roaming hands, but she needed more. When she called out his name, breathless and <em>needy</em>, Aerith knew she’d get exactly what she wanted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s—not fair,” she whispered to Zack as Cloud pulled out his fingers, staring at her through dazed eyes. “Why‘m I the— the only on’ naked?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack laughed and kissed Aerith’s forehead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dunno. Doesn’t seem fair, does it?” Zack glanced at Cloud and <em>winked</em>. “C’mon, Cloud. Take those pants off.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Zack,” Cloud deadpanned. “You can’t be serious.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Aerith only lazily clapped her hands over her head, smile sloppy and heart fluttering. “Cloud,” she called out, voice a sing-song. “I wanna <em>see</em>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud’s face, already flushed and pink, went a particular shade of scarlet that creeped down his neck. Aerith wanted to do nothing more than to lick it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You heard the lady— you should give us <em>both</em> a show.” </span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Watching Cloud strip off his uniform was liking watching all of Cloud’s walls tumble down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack knew what the SOLDIER uniform represented to Cloud; it was the same thing that it represented to him, ever since he first put his own on. It meant honor, honesty, valor, <em>pride</em>. It meant doing what he thought was right no matter the consequences.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it also built something up in them, a wall that was meant to separate them from others. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a wall that Cloud had taken his time crafting and building, but to see it fall so completely was enough to make Zack’s breath catch in his throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack massaged Aerith’s breasts and nipples as he watched Cloud, feeling the skin tighten with every rub of his calloused thumb against the sensitive skin. Even though he wanted to look at her, it was impossible to look away from Cloud slowly coming undone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Cloud went to pull off his gloves, both Zack and Aerith were loud in their proclamations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cloud—you can’t!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gloves had to stay on. There weren’t any if, ands, or buts about it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, when Cloud stood there in front of them, naked as the day he was born except for his gloves, Zack could only lick his lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to taste Cloud, to feel the other man’s cock against his lips, but he knew Aerith wanted to feel him inside her more than anything. And, if Zack was honest with himself and his achingly-hard cock, he couldn’t do anything but wait for Cloud to slip inside Aerith so he could fuck Cloud open himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud looked nervous. That was the only word Zack could think of as he watched Cloud lick his lips and fumble for his cock. It looked beautiful, thick and heavy, in his hand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack nuzzled his nose against Aerith’s throat as he ran his hands down her arms, twining their fingers together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You ready?” Zack asked, though he could see it in the way that Aerith opened her thighs wider for Cloud to slip between them that she wasn’t the one waiting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud and Zack locked eyes and though Zack didn’t need to give Cloud permission, Zack still found himself nodding his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sounds both of them made were absolutely <em>exquisite</em>. Aerith’s harsh staccato, Cloud’s groan that he tried to stifle his sounds, and Zack… watching with reverence as Cloud slipped inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack brought one of Aerith’s hands to his mouth, pressing a kiss against her pulse point, before guiding their joined hands to her clit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s thumb fluttered against that sweet little nub as Cloud took both her knees and widened them, using them for leverage as he sunk deeper inside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clou—<em>oh</em>,” Aerith’s voice hitched as Cloud slowly began to work his way out. Zack couldn’t help but admire Cloud’s tenacity; he knew what Aerith could do with her pussy, knew that the way she could grip a cock could make even the hardest man weep. The little pivot she loved to do, the way she tried to be domineering but only ever managed to make Zack laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It worked with Cloud, though. He could tell from the way Aerith and Cloud’s eyes locked in a question that Zack didn’t hear but could understand loud as day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith was going to make Cloud wait until <em>she</em> wanted him, and not a moment before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Such a tease,” Zack whispered into the shell of her ear, but that only seemed to make Aerith more tempestuous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a clear strain in Cloud’s brow, and Zack didn’t stop himself from leaning forward to press his mouth flush against Cloud’s, almost as though he could breathe a little of his own strength back into his lover.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still, Cloud didn’t move until Aerith gave an experimental thrust, breaking their kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud was gentle in his soft, barely-there thrusts, though Zack couldn’t tell if it was because Cloud was so close to coming or that he wanted to let Aerith step up the pace when she was ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when Aerith was ready, her eyes slowly opening and her breath just a barely decipherable, “Please,” Cloud began to move. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was beautiful to see— the sensual way their bodies came together, the way Cloud leaned in to press a kiss against the corner of her mouth. His hands rubbed circles against her hips, a kiss of his fingers against her skin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith and Cloud looked like sinful angels, entwined in love and lust and something Zack could only understand as <em>familiarity</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Over the months that Zack had been gone, something had bloomed between the two people he loved so most. Seeing them come together, seeing the way they looked at each other, seeing just how comfortable they were— it made Zack smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And hard.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It <em>definitely</em> made Zack hard. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith untwined her hands from Zack’s, instead moving to run her fingers through Cloud’s hair. She pulled him into a kiss, long and passionate, before looking back to Zack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You just gunna watch?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack <em>smirked</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Languidly, Aerith wrapped her legs around Cloud, using the balls of her feet to pull him in deeper. The sound Cloud made went straight to Zack’s dick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly, Zack slid out from behind Aerith, laying the two on the bed. He was quick undoing his pauldrons, yanking his standard SOLDIER top right over his head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Both Aerith and Cloud were lost in their own little words of moans and whispers, so Zack took his time with toeing off his boots and socks before slipping his hand down to the zipper of his pants. His cock was already hard, hard enough to strain against the fabric, and Zack palmed himself before pulling at the zipper and button. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack groaned, wrapping his hand around his cock. He gave a few tugs, sighing as he rubbed his thumb against the slit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud caught the sound, looking up long enough to smile through thoroughly-kissed lips, before Aerith pulled him back down. There was one thing that he did that made Zack’s cock and balls heavy— Cloud reached behind him to run his finger against the cleft of his ass. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was as inviting as it got. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even though it’d been months since he’d been home, Zack automatically went for the lube in his nightstand. Popping the bottle open before he’d even wiggled out of his pants, Zack spread the cold, thick lube across his fingers. He kicked off his pants into places unknown before Zack edged around the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Watching Cloud’s fingers circling around his hole made the hairs on the back of his neck stand at attention, but what made it even better was when Aerith reached around and pulled Cloud’s ass cheeks apart with a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack winked before sliding two fingers down the cleft of his cheeks, tracing the same skin Cloud had touched not a moment before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took his time, spreading Cloud open. His hole was already stretched and ready— Cloud must have gotten himself ready, expecting at least some of where their night would go. Slipping two fingers in made Cloud still just before rocking backward. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re gunna break him.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack reached up, running his hand through the hairs at the base of Cloud’s neck, before curling his fingers through Cloud’s blond hair. Zack pulled back, enjoying the sound of pain and pleasure rip from Cloud’s throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry— he likes it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Cloud wasn’t sure how much more he could take. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything in his body was on <em>fire</em>. His heart was beating so fast his head was spinning, his ass and that sweet spot Zack knew just how to press make his eyes roll back in his head, and every time he felt as though he couldn’t keep going, Aerith pulled him as deep as he could go until he felt like he was about to fall off the edge of the plate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time he felt the head of Zack’s cock push through the ring of muscle, teased and wet and ready, Cloud didn’t think he could formulate thoughts, let alone words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was so much, but neither Aerith nor Zack were done with him, yet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way they moved made no logical sense; Zack gripped Cloud’s hair and rode him at one pace, Aerith turning her hips and fucking herself on his cock with an entirely different one. The only reason he hadn’t fallen over was Aerith’s thighs and the arm Zack wrapped around his middle, keeping them all from falling over into a mess of limbs and hair and probably too much lube. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their differences didn’t matter— not then, anyway. There was a beauty in the way their bodies moved, in their frenzied need for skin against skin, lips against lips, passion against passion. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud could see the hazy blackness around the corners of his eyes as he moaned, his entire body fucked and touched and <em>loved</em>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For one brief, fleeting second, Cloud thought they’d stop just as he reached the closeness of that sweet peak of orgasm. He thought that they’d tease him until he really went insane, until there was nothing left but a begging, sobbing, <em>needing</em> mess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instead, Zack slid his fingers from Cloud’s hair and twined his hand with Aerith’s, pressing a sticky, sweat-slick kiss to Cloud’s shoulder. His cock knew just where to brush. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fuck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I— I—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s okay,” Zack whispered, voice husky and broken, “Come— come for me. For <em>us</em>.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud leaned down and crushed his mouth against Aerith’s as he came, his entire body stilling as he felt her pussy tighten around him, her other hand scrambling and digging into his back to ride out her own orgasm. Zack, too, was coming— Cloud could feel Zack’s come, hot and slick, just before the darkness encroached. </span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I think you knocked him out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think <em>you</em> knocked him out.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith brushed her lips against Cloud’s sweaty brow as Zack pulled out of Cloud, gently laying Cloud next to Aerith. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could still feel the tingle between her legs and the flutter in her chest, but Aerith rested her palms against Cloud’s head, closing her eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We <em>both</em> knocked him out,” Aerith conceded as she used her magic to gently reach out, caressing Cloud’s mind. He was okay; knocked out, yeah, but still <em>okay</em>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Opening her eyes, Aerith glanced at her boyfriend as he flopped onto his back, cuddling up on the other side of Cloud. He threw one arm around Cloud’s middle as Aerith threw her own arm around Cloud’s chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never fucked someone to unconsciousness,” Zack laughed as he pressed his chin against Cloud’s shoulder. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s not true for me,” Aerith mumbled with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack pursed his lips before— “Oh, man. I almost forgot about that. In the attic where—” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The beam fell and smacked you in the head.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack winced, almost as though the memory caused some physical pain. “Almost forgot about that.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith laughed. “I didn’t.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack’s fingers ghosted across Aerith’s middle, a pensive look passing across his face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know I love you, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course I do.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith knew it and knew it well. Ever since the first time they met, touched, kissed, Aerith knew that Zack loved her. It has been a whirlwind romance, once that had swept her off her feet. Zack was her knight in a shining SOLDIER uniform, and never once had Aerith thought otherwise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Cloud…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get why I love him, too?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was something in Zack’s voice that made Aerith’s heart ache.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was soft. Not physically— Aerith had seen the things Cloud could do with a sword— but in other ways. It was how he behaved, how he was so gentle with her, how he looked at Zack with stars in his eyes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They balanced her out in ways that she couldn’t put into words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She also could see how Cloud made <em>Zack</em> a better man. Zack could go toe to toe with him, could bring some of that energy and excitement and <em>enthusiasm</em> that Cloud had bubbling just under the service. They got competitive with one another, always trying to push the other to their limits, always catching each other when they fell. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Aerith turned and rested her head on Cloud’s other shoulder, watching his face as he began to stir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get it. I really do.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And of the worry, the fear, the jealousy that could have been… all of that was gone when Aerith saw Cloud’s blue eyes open. There was so much warmth there, not just for Zack, but for Aerith, too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome back to the world of the living.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“H— how long?” Cloud mumbled as he slowly maneuvered himself to his side so he could be Zack’s little spoon and Aerith’s big spoon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just a minute,” Aerith said as she scooted closer, enjoying the feeling of Cloud’s breath on her skin. She was positively sticky— the come between her legs was beginning to become uncomfortable, but not enough to make her want to move. “You okay?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud hummed in response, pulling at his gloves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You kidding, Cloudy’s still up in the clouds,” Zack teased, but there was a breathlessness in his voice that made both Aerith and Cloud laugh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You really like these things, huh?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Aerith and Zack replied without pause. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Later that night, after they’d worn down any barriers and fears, after Zack had licked Cloud’s come from Aerith’s tight heat and kissed until Aerith could barely breathe, after Cloud and Zack sandwiched Aerith between them as they took turns fucking her deep and hard and fast, after Aerith rode Zack as he took Cloud into his mouth, they’d fallen into Zack’s satin sheets, beyond exhausted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though there were a million things that Aerith wanted to do at that time, all Aerith could do was lay in Cloud and Zack’s arms, unable to do anything but whisper “I <em>do</em> want my panties back,” to Zack as Cloud rested his head on her chest. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Panties?” Cloud grunted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A good pair,” Aerith said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Zack pressed a kiss to Aerith’s forehead. “Yeah, yeah, definitely a good pair.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They laid in the sweet, soft silence, in a place that Aerith felt entirely at peace. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine this ever happening. But now that it <em>had</em> happened, Aerith couldn’t imagine living without Cloud and Zack exactly like it was. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you plan this?” she asked, though she knew that wouldn’t have been possible. Not even Zack was <em>that</em> good. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah… but I did scheme. Just a little.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cloud leaned up, pressing a kiss to Aerith’s mouth, then with what little energy he had left, kissed Zack. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure,” Cloud muttered as he laid his head back down. “Just a little.” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you all so much for reading this, and thank you Kitzie for requesting it! It took me two months, but I hope it was everything you wanted!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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